1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of interior lighting and, more particularly, to recessed downlight fixtures that can accommodate three degrees of adjustment below and through an opening in either a retrofit or new construction application.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Lighting within a structure, such as a residential or commercial structure, is generally referred to as interior lighting. Contrary to interior lighting, lighting can also be employed exterior of the structure. Exterior lighting in many instances utilize a different lighting fixture and light source than an interior lighting fixture and source, and the exterior lighting device can be mounted altogether different from an interior lighting fixture and light source.
Similar to the differences between interior lighting and exterior lighting, interior lighting has many different types of lighting devices. The subject matter hereof is focused on interior lighting and, more particularly on a specific type of interior lighting, oftentimes referred to as recessed interior lighting.
Recessed interior lighting generally involves a recessed lighting fixture as well as a light source, where the fixture is typically installed in hollow ceiling spaces such that the fixture is hidden above an interior ceiling with only an opening and surrounding trim visible from below the ceiling. Recessed lighting fixtures are widely used for residential and commercial applications, and generally comprise fixtures that fall within two broad categories: downlights or wall wash lights. In some instances, recessed lighting fixtures can fall within both categories of downlights and wall wash lights, and are often grouped together and termed as downlights.
Downlights are designed so that the downlight fixtures direct light straight down from the ceiling, whereas wall wash lights and their associated fixtures cast an oblique illumination from the ceiling onto a nearby wall surface. The description hereof pertains to interior recessed lighting fixtures and, more specifically, interior recessed downlight fixtures.
Interior recessed downlight fixtures typically include a housing of some form of metal at least partially surrounding a light source and supported above an opening in the interior ceiling. The housing can be coupled to a source of electrical power with electrical conduit or the like pursuant to applicable building codes and regulations. The bottom of the recessed enclosure has an aperture which is aligned with an opening cut in the interior ceiling. The opening is normally finished with an ornamental trim which may also serve to support various accessories such as lens, light diffusers, condensers, baffles, filters and the like.
A common method of supporting recess light fixtures is by hanging those fixtures from existing ceiling joists, such as wooden beams. For example, a pair of parallel hanger bars can be nailed to the joist and the recessed housing can be hung between the two hanger bars by hanger brackets fastened to the recessed housing. The hanger brackets can be repositioned along the vertical line on the recessed fixtures so that the fixtures can be raised or lowered relative to the hanger bars, for adjusting the height of the recessed housing relative to the ceiling.
The recessed light fixtures are generally available in a variety of shapes, some of them being cylindrical, and others being square or rectangular boxes. The recessed light fixtures, while moveable on the parallel hanger bars between the ceiling joists, and also moveable in the vertical line for adjustment relative to the ceiling, the conventional recessed downlight fixture typically does not allow adjustment of the light source relative to the fixture. Instead, conventional recessed downlight fixtures only allow the light source to illuminate straight down along the vertical line once the fixture is secured to the hanger brackets.
The limited adjustment of a downlight fixture is increasingly problematic as the ceiling space or ceiling plenum becomes crowded. For example, the ceiling spaces can be occupied with ventilation ducts, fire sprinkler systems, conduits of various kinds for data cables, audio wiring, surveillance systems and layers of insulation. It sometimes occurs that the recessed interior downlight fixture cannot be installed in an optimal location because of such impediments in the ceiling space. Moreover, the junction box associated with the recessed downlight fixture oftentimes includes a transformer, ballast, or pulse width modulation (PWM) current drivers used, for example, as light emitting diode (LED) drivers that add to the crowded space above the recessed downlight fixture. Yet, the light source of a typical downlight fixture that has no adjustment capability must be directed to possibly an undesired location if the fixture is not optimally mounted on the hanger brackets and hanger bars.
Modern interior lighting has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. The incandescent light source, and in some instances the fluorescent light source, has been replaced by LEDs. More modern LED light sources generally include an array of LEDs thermally mounted to a heat sink. The LED drivers obtain power from the AC mains. Recessed downlight fixtures that use LEDs are replacing existing incandescent or fluorescent recessed downlight fixtures at a rapid pace. One reason for replacing downlight fixtures with LED downlight fixtures is the energy savings, as well as the ability to control the color and luminance output from LEDs, which cannot easily be done in conventional incandescence or fluorescent light sources.
A need exists for retrofitting existing downlight fixtures with newer, more energy efficient LED recessed downlight fixtures. The desired LED recessed downlight fixtures can vary in structure and shape depending on whether they are installed in new construction or in an existing ceiling. In new construction, a ceiling does not exist, and the fixture can be mounted to the ceiling joist. The ceiling is thereafter installed beneath the fixture with an opening through the ceiling to accommodate the light source and illumination therefrom. Conversely, in a retrofit application, the ceiling already exists. For example, the replacement LED downlight fixture must be inserted into the existing opening of the ceiling that previously accommodated the incandescent or fluorescent downlight fixture.
A need exists not only for installing a recessed downlight fixture in a retrofit application or new construction application, but also being able to make adjustments after the install and even after the ceiling is in place. Regardless of whether the LED downlight fixture is utilized in a retrofit or a new construction application, such a fixture should beneficially be one that allows universal adjustment of the light source to overcome the increasingly crowded ceiling space and the constraints placed on the location of the recessed downlight fixture. This problem is even more acute when replacing incandescent or fluorescent recessed downlight fixtures with LED recessed downlight fixtures, since it is even more desirable to change the LED illumination pattern relative to the prior incandescent illumination pattern due to the difference in illumination between LEDs and incandescence or fluorescent lighting sources.